Systems and methods for determining speed control management settings

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices for determining speed control management settings are provided. A vehicle configuration is obtained, specifying at least a transmission, including a number of gears present in the transmission. One or more speed control management modules, such as progressive shift and/or gear down protection modules, are selected by a customer. One or more default progressive shift limits and a default gear down protection limit are calculated, along with gears for which they are active. Performance of the vehicle using the default speed control management settings is simulated and compared to typical vehicle performance. The customer may alter the speed control management settings within dynamically determined valid ranges. The speed control management settings are used in the manufacture or other configuration of the vehicle for the customer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No.61/566,556, filed Dec. 2, 2011, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Increasing demands are being placed on finite energy reserves used topower vehicles such as cars, trucks, and the like. In this regard,improvements to make vehicles and drivers more efficient providebenefits of minimizing transportation costs and reducing environmentalpollutants. Current technologies for improving driver efficiency includeprogressive shifting (PGS) and gear down protection (GDP). PGS prompts adriver to switch to a higher gear when a PGS engine speed setpoint isreached to encourage early shifting. GDP prompts a driver to switch to ahigher gear when a GDP engine speed setpoint is reached to encourageoperating in a higher gear. In either situation, drivers may be prompteddirectly by displaying a visual indicator, or indirectly byautomatically reducing an amount of fuel made available to the engine.

Unfortunately, PGS setpoint engine speeds and GDP setpoint engine speedsare currently determined by trial and error. This is a problem,especially considering that the high degree of customizability availablewhen ordering a vehicle (e.g., engine models, transmission models andconfiguration, and/or the like) makes it unlikely that setpointsappropriate for one vehicle configuration will be appropriate foranother vehicle configuration or that setpoints appropriate for oneintended use will be appropriate for another intended use.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems andmethods for automatically determining optimal setpoints for bothprogressive shift and gear down protection, such that a configuredvehicle may be operated efficiently and reliably at all speeds.

In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method of configuring avehicle is provided. A computing device receives a vehicleconfiguration. The computing device determines at least one progressiveshift limit or at least one gear down protection shift limit based onthe vehicle configuration, and stores in an order data store thedetermined at least one progressive shift limit or the determined atleast one gear down protection shift limit.

In some embodiments, a nontransitory computer-readable medium havingcomputer executable instructions stored thereon is provided. Theinstructions, if executed by one or more processors of a computingdevice, cause the computing device to perform actions for configuring avehicle. The actions comprise receiving a vehicle configuration;determining a progressive shift limit and a gear down protection limitassociated with the vehicle; determining whether the progressive shiftlimit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears basedon the vehicle configuration; and, in response to determining that thelimits result in a dead gear, modifying the progressive shift limit orthe gear down protection limit to eliminate the dead gear; and storingthe modified progressive shift limit or the modified gear downprotection limit.

In some embodiments, a computing device comprising at least oneprocessor, a memory, and a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon is provided. In responseto execution by the at least one processor, the computer-executableinstructions cause the computing device to provide components forconfiguring a vehicle, the components comprising a setting calculationcomponent and a vehicle simulation component. The setting calculationcomponent is configured to obtain a vehicle configuration, the vehicleconfiguration including at least a set of typical shift points, andcalculate one or more speed control management settings based on thevehicle configuration. The vehicle simulation component is configured toobtain a set of vehicle drive cycles, determine a typical simulatedperformance for each vehicle drive cycle in the set of vehicle drivecycles based on the vehicle configuration and the set of typical shiftpoints, determine a speed control management simulated performance foreach vehicle drive cycle in the set of vehicle drive cycles based on thevehicle configuration and the speed control management settings, andpresent at least one comparison of the typical simulated performance andthe speed control management simulated performance to a customer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system for assisting a customerto configure one or more speed control management setpoints according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a method of generating speedcontrol management settings according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an interface dialog presented by aninterface component for choosing speed control management modulesaccording to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate one embodiment of a procedure for generatingdefault progressive shift settings according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a procedure for generating defaultgear down protection settings according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a procedure for simulating anddisplaying vehicle performance according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a chart presented by an interfacecomponent to compare engine speed versus vehicle speed for typical shiftpoints and speed control management settings according to variousaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a chart presented by the interfacecomponent to compare fuel economy improvements using various speedcontrol management settings according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a chart presented by the interfacecomponent to compare drive time differences using various speed controlmanagement settings according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary interface dialog for displayingprogressive shift setting ranges and accepting a selection from acustomer according to various aspects of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary interface dialog for displaying geardown protection setting ranges and accepting a selection from thecustomer according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that automaticallycalculate appropriate settings for progressive shift and gear downprotection control strategies based on a typical operating condition, apowertrain optimization goal, and/or a specific vehicle configuration.After appropriate default settings are generated, the customer isprovided an opportunity to modify the settings within dynamicallydetermined bounds, and the modified settings are automatically checkedto ensure that they would result in acceptable driveability.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a vehicleconfiguration is received by a system wherein the vehicle configurationincludes information such as a gross combined weight, an aerodynamicprofile, a selected engine model, a transmission configuration(including number of gears and gear ratios), a rear axle ratio, anapplication (such as long-haul delivery, local delivery, and/or thelike), a tire size, and/or the like. Truck operating conditions are alsoreceived as part of the vehicle configuration, and may include anoptimization goal (such as performance, fuel economy, and/or the like),a typical operating speed, typical shift points for each gear, and/orthe like. In some embodiments, the system may present options to a user(such as whether to calculate progressive shift settings and/or whetherto calculate gear down protection settings) based on the receivedinformation.

Assuming that the user has selected to enable a progressive shift moduleand a gear down protection module, embodiments of the present disclosuremay generate default progressive shift and gear down protection settings(including engine speed limit setpoints and/or transmission gears forwhich a given setpoint is applied) based on one or more of thefollowing: characteristics of the selected engine model (such as atorque map and/or the like), characteristics of the selectedtransmission (such as the number of gears and the gear ratios), the rearaxle ratio, the tire size, the optimization goal, and the typical cruisespeed. In several embodiments, the system may then calculate boundswithin which the determined progressive shift and gear down protectionsettings may be altered while still maintaining adequate performancebased on the associated vehicle characteristics, and may allow thecustomer to change the settings within those bounds.

In some embodiments, more than one progressive shift limit may becalculated. For example, in a transmission with a small number of gears(e.g., 9, 10, or 13 gears, compared to 18 gears) the difference betweengear ratios may be much greater for lower gears than for higher gears.In such a case, a lower progressive shift limit may be calculated for aset of lower gears, and a higher progressive shift limit may becalculated for a set of higher gears.

Some configurations could lead to unusable gears. For example, if aprogressive shift setting recommends a shift into a higher gear forwhich gear down protection is active, yet switching into that gear wouldcause the gear down protection limit to be exceeded, the higher gearwould not be usable. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, suchunusable gears are detected and avoided when calculating the settings.

In some embodiments, the disclosed systems may display various metricsto help a customer reach a decision concerning where to place the finalsettings. For example, the system may display graphs showing performanceof the default settings for sample drive cycles with respect to fueleconomy and drive cycle time, and may also display graphs of one or morecustom settings for comparison.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system for assisting a customerto configure one or more speed control management settings. A customer92 uses a client computing device 90 to connect to a setting generationdevice 100. The client computing device 90 may be any type of computingdevice capable of connecting to the setting generation device 100 andcapable of presenting an interface to the customer 92. In theillustrated embodiment, the client computing device 90 is a desktopcomputer that includes one or more processors, a memory,computer-readable storage media, a display device, one or more inputdevices, and a network interface. In another embodiment, the clientcomputing device 90 is some other type of computing device having adisplay, at least one processor, and a memory. Examples of other typesof computing devices include a laptop computer, a tablet computer, amobile device, a point-of-sale system, and the like. The clientcomputing device 90 may connect to the setting generation device 100 viaa standard web browser, through a terminal client, through a stand-aloneprogram, and/or the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, the customer 92 uses the client computingdevice 90 directly to access the setting generation device 100. However,in another embodiment, the customer 92 may use an agent, such as avehicle salesperson in a showroom or at a call center, to operate theclient computing device 90. Such changes and others in how the customer92 provides the information to the setting generation device 100 arewithin the scope of the appended claims.

The setting generation device 100 may be any type of computing deviceconfigurable to execute the components described below and tocommunicate with the client computing device 90. In one embodiment, thesetting generation device 100 is a server computer having one or moreprocessors, a memory, computer-readable storage media, and a networkinterface. In another embodiment, the setting generation device 100 is adifferent type of computer, such as a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, and/or the like. In yet another embodiment, the components ofthe setting generation device 100 may be executed on more than onecomputing device, or may be executed by the client computing device 90.

The setpoint configuration device 100 includes components such as aninterface component 102, a setting calculation component 104, a vehiclesimulation component 106, and an order processing component 110. Theinterface component 102 is configured to communicate with the othercomponents of the setpoint configuration device 100. The interfacecomponent 102 is also configured to present an interface rendered by theclient computing device 90 to the customer 92 to allow the customer 92to configure one or more settings. The setting calculation component 104is configured to calculate one or more suitable speed control managementsettings (including at least engine speed limit setpoints and gears forwhich the setpoints are active) based on at least vehicle configurationinformation and a vehicle optimization goal. The vehicle simulationcomponent 106 is configured to simulate one or more drive cycles for theconfigured vehicle, based at least on the vehicle configurationinformation, the vehicle optimization goal, and the speed controlmanagement settings determined by the setting calculation component 104.After settings are chosen by the customer 92, the order processingcomponent 110 may add the selected settings to an order to be fulfilledby an order fulfillment pipeline (not pictured).

In some embodiments, each of the “components” discussed above as partsof the setting generation device 100 include a computing device or aportion of a computing device specially programmed withcomputer-executable instructions that, if executed by the computingdevice, cause the computing device to perform the actions associatedwith the component as discussed below. In some embodiments, each of the“components” may include computer-executable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium, wherein, if executed by one or more processorsof a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the actionsassociated with the component as discussed below.

In some embodiments, the functionality of components depicted as beingseparate may be performed by a single component, and in otherembodiments, the functionality of a component depicted as a singlecomponent may be split between multiple components. Components of thesetting generation device 100 may be described as presentinginformation. In the illustrated embodiments, presenting information isshown in the context of a point-and-click computer interface display.Other forms of presentation, such as transmitting information to anothercomputing device to create such a display, presenting information in adifferent type of interface, and/or the like, are within the scope ofthe appended claims.

The setting generation device 100 also includes a performance data store108 and an order data store 112. The performance data store 108 mayinclude detailed information concerning the performance characteristicsof the powertrain components that are part of the vehicle configuration.In some embodiments, the performance data store 108 may include aplurality of look-up tables regarding the performance characteristics ofvarious combinations of vehicle components, and may also include optimalsetpoint values for such combinations of vehicle components. Possiblecontents of such look-up tables are described further below. In someembodiments, the performance data store 108 may include data identifyingthe individual performance characteristics of powertrain components,from which other components of the setting generation device 100 maysimulate the performance of the vehicle with one or more computedsetpoints. The order data store 112 is configured to store orderinformation, such as information identifying vehicle componentconfigurations, optimization goals selected by the customer 92, anyacknowledgement submitted by the customer 92 to ignore the optimizationgoals, one or more selections made by the customer 92 relating to speedcontrol management settings, and/or the like. Such information may beused during order fulfillment and subsequent performancetroubleshooting.

In some embodiments, each of the data stores includes a database thatstores the described data in a structured format and is hosted by thesetting generation device 100. In some embodiments, each of the datastores include databases that reside on a computing device separate fromthe setting generation device 100, and are accessed by the componentsvia a network. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, inother embodiments, the data described as being stored in these datastores may be stored by any suitable type of device.

In some embodiments, the order data store 112 may store vehicleconfiguration information and optimization goal information generatedand stored by a powertrain configuration device, by a method such as oneof the methods described in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/010,638, filed Jan. 20, 2011, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Insome embodiments, the functionality of the setting generation device 100described herein may be included in the powertrain configuration device.In some embodiments, the setting generation device 100 may be separatefrom the powertrain configuration device, and may communicate via orderinformation stored in the order data store 112. In some embodiments, thesetting generation device 100 and a separate powertrain configurationdevice may share a common interface component 102, which thencommunicates with separate components within the setting generationdevice 100 and the powertrain configuration device. One of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that, in other embodiments, thepowertrain configuration device and the setting generation device 100may be combined in ways not explicitly described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a method 200 of generating speedcontrol management settings according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. From a start block, the method 200 proceeds to block 202,where a vehicle configuration, including an optimization goal and one ormore vehicle operating conditions, is obtained, validated, and stored inan order data store. As discussed above, the vehicle configuration maybe obtained using a method disclosed in co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/010,638, or by any other suitable method.

Next, at block 204, a setting calculation component 104 determines oneor more available progressive shift (PGS) and/or gear down protection(GDP) modules based on the vehicle configuration. For example, forvehicles with certain transmissions (such as transmissions having 9, 10,or 18 speeds), the change in gear ratio in consecutive gears may besubstantially similar throughout the gears. In comparison, vehicles withother transmissions (such transmissions having 13 speeds), the gearratios in a lower range of gears may change significantly more betweenconsecutive gears than the gear ratios in a higher range of gears.Accordingly, the setting calculation component 104 may only make aprogressive shift module available that provides a single progressiveshift setpoint for the first type of transmissions, while anotherprogressive shift module may be made available for the second type oftransmission that provides two or more progressive shift setpoints toprovide a more consistent operator experience across all gears. In someembodiments, the progressive shift setpoints may provide a progressivelyincreasing engine speed limit as the vehicle speed increases.

The method 200 proceeds to block 206, where an interface component 102presents the one or more available progressive shift and/or gear downprotection modules to a customer 92, and receives a selection of one ormore progressive shift and/or gear down protection modules. FIG. 3illustrates one embodiment of an interface dialog 300 presented by theinterface component 102 for choosing speed control management modules,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The interfacedialog 300 includes a progressive shift module section 302 and a geardown protection module section 304. The progressive shift module section302 includes selections for no modules, a module with a single setpoint,and a module with two setpoints. As illustrated, selection of the modulewith two setpoints has been disabled. As discussed above, the interfacecomponent 102 may disable selection of the module with two setpoints incases where a transmission has a consistent change in gear ratios acrossits entire operating range, or for other reasons. In some embodiments,the interface component 102 may allow selection of any of theprogressive shift modules regardless of the number of transmission gearsincluded in the vehicle configuration.

Returning now to FIG. 2, at block 208, a procedure is performed whereinthe setting calculation component 104 determines default progressiveshift settings based on the selected modules and the vehicleconfiguration. FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate one embodiment of a procedure 400carried out at block 208 for generating default progressive shiftsettings according to various aspects of the present disclosure. From astart block, the procedure 400 proceeds to a decision block 402 where adetermination is made as to whether the vehicle configuration includes atransmission having less than a predetermined number of gears, such aseighteen gears. If the answer to the determination at decision block 402is YES, the procedure 400 proceeds to block 404. At this point, theprocedure 400 has determined that the transmission specified by thevehicle configuration includes a number of gears less than thepredetermined number of gears, such as nine, ten, or thirteen gears. Atblock 404, the setting calculation component 104 stores a first (lowest)gear as a progressive shift inactive gear in a progressive shift settingrecord. The progressive shift setting record temporarily stores theprogressive shift settings during processing, and may be stored involatile memory, in the order data store 112, or in any other suitablestorage location. In several transmission types, including transmissionshaving nine, ten, and thirteen speeds, the first gear is generallyadequate for starting movement of the vehicle. The first gear is storedas an inactive gear for progressive shift to allow the operator to usehigher engine speeds in the first gear to provide adequate power forstarting movement of the vehicle.

Next, at block 406, the setting calculation component 104 determines afirst progressive shift limit and gears for which it is active based onthe vehicle configuration. In some embodiments, the setting calculationcomponent 104 may consult a look-up table stored in the performance datastore 108 to find the appropriate settings based on the optimizationgoal, the selected engine, the selected transmission, the selectedrear-axle ratio, and/or other vehicle configuration settings. In someembodiments, the setting calculation component 104 may retrieve a peaktorque range for the selected engine and gear ratios for eachtransmission gear from the performance data store 108, and may calculateappropriate settings for the optimization goal without using a look-uptable. In some embodiments, the progressive shift limit will be set suchthat the engine operates above a minimum engine speed for peak torquewhen making an upshift, including in cases where skip shifting is used.The progressive shift limit may also be set such that the engine isallowed to reach a speed at which peak horsepower is obtained. In someembodiments, a typical minimum engine speed for peak torque may bearound 1150 RPM, and a typical engine speed for peak horsepower may bearound 1600 RPM, but these values may vary depending on the enginedesign. The first progressive shift limit gears may start at the secondgear (since the first gear was previously determined to be inactive),and may include all gears up until a point where the gear speed ratiosare reduced due to a transition from a low transmission range to a hightransmission range. As one example, in a 13-speed transmission, gearspeed ratios between each gear between first gear and sixth gear may beabout 1.3 to 1.4; and gear speed ratios between each gear between sixthgear and thirteenth gear may be about 1.17. At block 408, the settingcalculation component 104 stores the first progressive shift limit andthe first progressive shift gears in the progressive shift settingsrecord.

Next, at block 410, the setting calculation component 104 determines asecond progressive shift limit and gears for which it is active based onthe vehicle configuration and a gear down protection request. The secondprogressive shift limit is determined similarly to the first progressiveshift limit. That is, the setting calculation component 104 may retrievethe second progressive shift limit from a look-up table based on thevehicle configuration and the optimization goal, or may calculate thesecond progressive shift limit based on the performance of thecomponents identified in the vehicle configuration. In some embodiments,the first progressive shift limit may be lower to account for the higherreduction of the transmission gears in the low transmission range, andthe second progressive shift limit may be higher to allow the engine toremain in the peak torque range despite the lower reduction of thetransmission gears in the high transmission range.

In some embodiments, the second progressive shift gears may start at thefirst gear above the first progressive shift gears. In some embodiments,the second progressive shift gears may extend to a gear depending onwhether a gear down protection module has been selected. If gear downprotection is enabled, the second progressive shift gears may extend tothe highest gear for which gear down protection is not enabled, suchthat no gear will have both gear down protection and progressive shiftenabled at once. If gear down protection is not enabled, the secondprogressive shift gears may extend to the second highest transmissiongear available. Next, at block 412, the setting calculation component104 stores the second progressive shift limit and the second progressiveshift gears in the progressive shift setting record. The procedure 400then proceeds to a continuation terminal (“terminal B”).

If the procedure 400 has determined that the transmission specified inthe vehicle configuration has the preselected number of gears or more,such as eighteen gears, the answer to the determination at decisionblock 402 is NO, and the procedure 400 proceeds to a continuationterminal (“terminal A”). From terminal A (FIG. 4B), the procedure 400proceeds to block 414, where the setting calculation component 104stores a first (lowest) gear and a second (second-lowest) gear asprogressive shift inactive gears in a progressive shift setting record.The first and second gears may both be specified as inactive gears in aneighteen speed transmission because the tighter differences between gearratios may make it appropriate for an operator to use the first gear,the second gear, or both when starting movement of the vehicle. In someembodiments, these lower gears may also be used for creeping the vehiclealong at low speeds, such as in cases where application requirements maylead to higher engine speeds for maintaining a low creep speed.

Next, at decision block 416, a determination is made as to whether agear down protection module has been selected. If the answer to thedetermination at decision block 416 is YES, the procedure 400 proceedsto block 418, where the setting calculation component 104 determines aprogressive shift limit for a third gear through a highest gear beforegear down protection is active. Similar to the calculations discussedabove, the progressive shift limit is based on at least the vehicleconfiguration, including the optimization goal, and may be calculated orretrieved from a look-up table. The procedure 400 then proceeds to acontinuation terminal (“terminal C”). If the answer to the determinationat decision block 416 is NO, the procedure 400 proceeds to block 420,where the setting calculation component 104 determines a progressiveshift limit for a third gear through a second highest gear (seventeenthgear). As discussed above, the progressive shift limit is based on atleast the vehicle configuration, including the optimization goal, andmay be calculated or retrieved from a look-up table. The procedure 400then proceeds to a continuation terminal (“terminal C”).

From terminal C, the procedure 400 proceeds to block 422, where thesetting calculation component 104 stores the progressive shift limit andthe gears for which it is active (either third gear through highest gearbefore gear down protection is active, or third gear through seventeenthgear) in the progressive shift setting record. The procedure 400 thenproceeds to terminal B, and then to an end block where it terminates.

Returning now to FIG. 2, at block 210, a procedure is performed whereinthe setting calculation component 104 determines default gear downprotection settings based on the selected modules and the vehicleconfiguration. FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a procedure 500,carried out at block 210, for generating default gear down protectionsettings according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Onegoal of the gear down protection setting is to encourage the vehicleoperator to switch to a higher, more efficient gear to reach a typicaloperating speed. In some embodiments, the gear down protection settingmay impose a hard engine speed limit, such that the vehicle operator maynot be able to achieve top speed in any but the highest gear.Accordingly, the gear down protection limit may be calculated such thatthe limit is reached four to five miles per hour slower than the typicaltop operating speed of the vehicle. In the illustrated embodiment,different determinations are performed if the specified transmissionincludes, for example, nine or less gears, ten gears, or more than tengears (such as thirteen or eighteen gears).

From a start block, the procedure 500 proceeds to a decision block 502,where a determination is made as to whether the transmission specifiedin the vehicle configuration includes nine or less gears. If the answerto the determination at decision block 502 is YES (in other words, ifthe specified transmission has nine or less gears), the procedure 500proceeds to block 504, where the setting calculation component 104determines a gear down protection limit for eighth gear based on atleast a tire size, a rear axle ratio, and a typical operating speed. Insome embodiments, the gear down protection limit may be based on otherfactors as well, such as an auxiliary transmission configuration.

For vehicles having transmissions with nine or less gears, gear downprotection may typically be active in eighth gear. As with theprogressive shift limits, the gear down protection limit may beretrieved from a look-up table corresponding to the selectedtransmission and engine, or may be calculated by the setting calculationcomponent 104 based on performance information for each of the selectedcomponents. The procedure 500 then proceeds to a continuation terminal(“terminal A”).

If the answer to the determination at decision block 502 is NO (in otherwords, the specified transmission has more than nine gears), theprocedure 500 proceeds to another decision block 506, where adetermination is made as to whether the transmission specified in thevehicle configuration includes greater than ten gears. If the answer tothe determination at decision block 506 is NO (in other words, if thespecified transmission has ten gears), the procedure 500 proceeds toblock 508, where the setting calculation component 104 determines a geardown protection limit for ninth gear based on at least a tire size, arear axle ratio, a determination whether the transmission providesdirect drive or overdrive in a highest gear, and a typical operatingspeed. In this embodiment, gear down protection will typically be activein ninth gear. As with the progressive shift limits, the gear downprotection limit may be retrieved from a look-up table, or may becalculated by the setting calculation component 104. The procedure 500then proceeds to a continuation terminal (“terminal A”).

If the answer to the determination at decision block 506 is YES (inother words, the specified transmission has more than ten gears, such asthirteen or eighteen gears), the procedure 500 proceeds to block 510,where the setting calculation component 104 determines a gear downprotection limit and one or more active gears based on at least a tiresize, a rear axle ratio, a progressive shift configuration, and atypical operating speed. As discussed above, the gear down protectionlimit may be retrieved from a look-up table, or may be calculated basedon the performance of the components specified in the vehicleconfiguration.

In some embodiments, gear down protection will be applied in either oneor two gears below a top gear, as opposed to lower gears, at leastbecause a hard engine speed limit applied after reaching the gear downprotection limit would be undesirably imposing on the vehicle operator.Two or more gears may be used instead of one gear if the typicaloperating speed can be reached at 2000 RPM or less in gears that are twogears down or more from the top gear. Otherwise, only the second highestgear may be used. The setting calculation component 104 may make thisdetermination regardless of the number of transmission gears, but in theillustrated embodiment, the determination is associated with thirteenand eighteen speed transmissions because it is more likely that topspeed will be reachable in a gear two gears down from top gear in thesetransmissions. In some embodiments, the setting calculation component104 may ensure that the combination of the progressive shift setting andthe gear down protection setting does not result in an unusable gear.Again, in the illustrated embodiment this is shown as a part of theprocessing of a transmission with thirteen or eighteen gears, but inother embodiments, this check may be performed with any type oftransmission.

The procedure 500 then proceeds to a continuation terminal (“terminalA”), and then to block 512, where the setting calculation component 104stores the gear down protection limit and the one or more gears forwhich gear down protection is active in a gear down protection settingrecord. As with the progressive shift setting record, the gear downprotection setting record may be stored in volatile memory, in the orderdata store 112, or in any other suitable location. The procedure 500then proceeds to an end block and terminates.

Returning now to FIG. 2, the method 200 then proceeds to block 212,where a procedure is performed wherein a vehicle simulation component106 simulates vehicle drive cycle performance based on the settings, andthe interface component 102 displays performance data to the customer92. FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a procedure 600 carried out inblock 212 for simulating and displaying vehicle performance, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure. From a start block, theprocedure 600 proceeds to block 602, where the vehicle simulationcomponent 106 determines engine speed versus vehicle speed based on thevehicle configuration and typical shift points specified by the customer92. This determination is made assuming that neither progressive shiftnor gear down protection setpoints are used. In some embodiments, thevehicle simulation component 106 calculates the engine speed versusvehicle speed based on transmission gear ratios, a rear axle ratio, atire size, and/or other relevant configuration options within thevehicle configuration. At block 604, the vehicle simulation component106 determines engine speed versus vehicle speed based on the vehicleconfiguration, the progressive shift setting record, and the gear downprotection setting record. In some embodiments, the progressive shiftsettings and gear down protection settings may cause the shift points tooccur at lower engine speeds and vehicle speeds, thus keeping theoverall engine speed in a lower and more efficient range. A plot of thetwo shift point simulations is illustrated and described further belowwith respect to FIG. 7.

Next, at block 606, the vehicle simulation component 106 determines abase fuel economy for one or more drive cycles based on at least a grosscombined weight (GCW), the vehicle configuration, and typical shiftpoints. Various embodiments of methods for the generation and use ofdrive cycles for vehicle simulation are described in commonly owned,co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/170,068, filed Jun. 27,2011, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety. The vehicle simulation component 106 maysimulate the performance of the vehicle using an embodiment of a methoddescribed in the '068 application, or may use any other suitable vehiclesimulation method. The result of the simulation will be a simulatedoverall fuel economy when operating the vehicle in a typical manner overthe one or more drive cycles. In block 608, the vehicle simulationcomponent 106 determines a speed control management fuel economy for thedrive cycles based on the gross combined weight, the vehicleconfiguration, the progressive shift setting record, and the gear downprotection setting record. As before, the vehicle simulation component106 simulates the performance of the vehicle over the one or more drivecycles to determine a simulated overall fuel economy when operating thevehicle using the progressive shift settings and the gear downprotection settings. The procedure 600 then proceeds to block 610, wherethe vehicle simulation component 106 determines a fuel economy deltabased on the base fuel economy and the speed control management fueleconomy. The fuel economy delta indicates how much fuel economy changesbetween the use of the typical shift points and the shift pointsdetermined by the progressive shift settings and the gear downprotection settings. Typically, when properly configured, the fueleconomy delta should show an increase in fuel economy using the speedcontrol management setpoints.

The procedure 600 proceeds to block 612, where the vehicle simulationcomponent 106 determines a base time for one or more drive cycles basedon the gross combined weight, the vehicle configuration, and typicalshift points. As with the fuel economy, the vehicle simulation component106 may use any suitable method, such as those described in the '068application, to generate the drive cycles and to simulate theperformance of the vehicle over the drive cycles. The result of thesimulation will be how long it would take the vehicle to traverse thedrive cycle using typical shift points. At block 614, the vehiclesimulation component 106 determines a speed control management time forthe drive cycles based on the gross combined weight, the vehicleconfiguration, the progressive shift setting record, and the gear downprotection setting record. The result of this simulation will be howlong it would take the vehicle to traverse the drive cycle using theshift points specified by the progressive shift settings and the geardown protection settings. At block 616, the vehicle simulation component106 determines a time delta based on the base time and the speed controlmanagement time. The time delta indicates how much the time to traversethe drive cycles changes between the use of typical shift points and theshift points determined by the progressive shift settings and the geardown protection settings. Typically, the time delta may indicate that ittakes more time to traverse the drive cycles when using the speedcontrol settings than when using the typical shift points, whichindicates the cost involved in achieving higher fuel economy.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in someembodiments, a simulated fuel economy and a simulated drive cycle timemay be obtained in a single drive cycle simulation. Hence, the actionsdiscussed above with respect to determining a base time for one or moredrive cycles and determining a base fuel economy for one or more drivecycles may both occur during a single drive cycle simulation. Likewise,the actions discussed above with respect to determining a speed controlmanagement time for one or more drive cycles and determining a speedcontrol management fuel economy for one or more drive cycles may bothoccur during a single drive cycle simulation. In other embodiments, onlyeither fuel economy or time may be determined. One of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that various combinations of these features maybe used together without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that such a display may also include many other types ofsimulated data, including, but not limited to, a percentage of timespent in top gear, a number of gear shifts per mile or per hour, and/orthe like.

At block 618, the vehicle simulation component 106 provides the speeddeterminations, the fuel economy deltas, and the time deltas to theinterface component 102 for presentation to the user. The procedure 600then proceeds to an end block and terminates. One embodiment of a chartpresented by the interface component 102 to show the speeddeterminations is illustrated in FIG. 7. The chart 700 includes vehiclespeed values on an X-axis, and engine speed values on a Y-axis. Vehiclespeed versus engine speed for typical shift points are illustrated usinga dashed line 706, and vehicle speed versus engine speed for the speedcontrol management shift points are illustrated using a solid line 704.As illustrated, a typical operator may upshift around 1900 RPM.Meanwhile, the speed control management setpoints do not restrict theoperator in a first gear, but a first progressive shift setpoint limitsthe operator to about 1500 RPM in a second gear, and a secondprogressive shift setpoint limits the operator to about 1600 RPM inthird gear through eighth gear. As shown in the graph 700, this resultsin shifting occurring at lower vehicle speeds, and also results in muchlower engine speeds while keeping engine speeds after upshifts above apeak torque speed threshold 702.

One embodiment of a chart presented by the interface component 102 toshow fuel economy deltas is illustrated in FIG. 8. The Y-axis on the barchart 800 includes fuel economy improvement as a percentage whencompared to the typical fuel economy. As illustrated, the chart 800illustrates a fuel economy delta for a composite highway drive cycle802, and for a mountainous highway drive cycle 804 using the speedcontrol management settings. The chart 800 may also illustrate fueleconomy deltas for composite highway drive cycles 806, 810 and formountainous highway drive cycles 808, 812 using additional speed controlmanagement setting options. These additional speed control managementsetting options may be options selected by the customer after beingpresented with an interface for customizing the calculated values, asdiscussed further below with respect to FIGS. 10 and 11.

One embodiment of a chart presented by the interface component 102 toshow drive cycle time deltas is illustrated in FIG. 9. The Y-axis on thebar chart 900 includes an increase in time as a percentage when comparedto the typical time to complete the drive cycle. As illustrated, thechart 900 illustrates a time delta for a composite highway drive cycle902, and for a mountainous highway drive cycle 904 using the speedcontrol management settings. The chart 900 may also illustrate timedeltas for composite highway drive cycles 906, 910 and for mountainoushighway drive cycles 908, 912 using additional speed control managementsetting options. As stated above, these additional speed controlmanagement setting options may be options selected by the customer afterbeing presented with an interface for customizing the calculated values,as discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 10 and 11.

Returning now to FIG. 2, at block 214, the setting calculation component104 determines valid progressive shift and gear down protection settingranges, and receives a selection of progressive shift and gear downprotection settings from the interface component 102. The settingcalculation component 104 may determine valid progressive shift and geardown protection setting ranges based on the vehicle configuration,including the optimization goal. Valid settings may be determinedsimilarly to the validation of transmission configuration in theco-pending '638 application. For example, the valid progressive shiftand gear down protection setting ranges may be determined by calculatingwhich settings (or combinations of settings) can provide adequatestartability and gradeability performance for the vehicle while stillmeeting the optimization goal. The valid setting ranges may also excludeany settings (or combinations of settings) that would result in unusablegears.

In some embodiments, the setting calculation component 104 provides thesettings from the progressive shift setting record and the gear downprotection setting record along with the determined valid setting rangesto the interface component 102 for presentation to and selection by thecustomer. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary interface dialog 1000 fordisplaying progressive shift setting ranges and accepting a selectionfrom a customer, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.As illustrated, the interface dialog 1000 includes an activation gearinterface field 1002, a first progressive shift limit interface field1004, a gear selection interface field 1008 for the first progressiveshift limit, a second progressive shift limit interface field 1010, anda gear selection interface field 1014 for the second progressive shiftlimit.

In some embodiments, the first progressive shift limit interface field1004 and the second progressive shift limit interface field 1008 mayinitially display the default limits from the progressive shift settingrecord, and may then allow the customer 92 to specify different limits.In some embodiments, the first progressive shift limit interface field1004 and the second progressive shift limit interface field 1008 mayinclude drop-down lists of valid speed limit choices at predeterminedintervals within a range calculated by the setting calculation component104. In some embodiments, the interface fields may be freely editable,but the interface dialog 1000 may include a first progressive shiftlimit prompt 1006 and a second progressive shift limit prompt 1012 toindicate to the customer 92 what valid speed limit ranges werecalculated by the setting calculation component 104.

The activation gear interface field 1002 allows the customer to choosethe lowest gear for which progressive shift will be active, and forwhich each gear lower than the selected gear will be stored asprogressive shift inactive gears. The illustrated value of “2”corresponds to the previously described default of the first gear beingset as a progressive shift inactive gear. The drop-down portion of theactivation gear interface field 1002 may display other valid values, asdetermined by the setting calculation component 104. For example, in thecase of a transmission having eighteen gears, the drop-down portion ofthe activation gear interface field 1002 may display values of “2” and“3.”

The gear selection interface field 1008 for the first progressive shiftlimit allows the customer to choose the highest gear for which the firstprogressive shift limit will be applied, and the gear selectioninterface field 1014 for the second progressive shift limit allows thecustomer to choose the highest gear for which the second progressiveshift limit will be applied. These settings assume that the secondprogressive shift limit will be applied starting at the first gearhigher than the highest gear for which the first progressive shift limitwill be applied. Hence, the drop-down portion of the gear selectioninterface field 1008 for the first progressive shift limit may showgears starting at the first gear for which progressive shift is active,and continuing up to a highest gear which allows for at least oneavailable gear for the second progressive shift limit. Likewise, thedrop-down portion of the gear selection interface field 1014 for thesecond progressive shift limit may show gears starting at the first gearhigher than the gear selected in the gear selection interface field 1008for the first progressive shift limit, and continuing up to a highestgear available for progressive shift, as discussed above with respect toFIGS. 4A and 4B.

In some embodiments, the gears displayed in the drop-down portions ofthe interface fields or the default engine speed limits may changedynamically based on the selections made in the other interface fields.Also, in some embodiments, the setting calculation component 104determines whether any gear selections or combinations thereof would beunusable or would result in unsatisfactory vehicle performance, andensures that those gears are not displayed in the interface fields.

Once the customer 92 has reviewed the options and made changes to thevalues, if any changes are desired, the customer 92 may submit theinterface dialog 1000 by actuating a save interface button 1016. Oncethis button is actuated, the setting calculation component 104 ensuresthat each of the selections is valid, and will result in a vehiclehaving adequate performance. If the settings are determined to beinvalid, an error message may be displayed, prompting the customer 92 toaddress any errors.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary interface dialog 1100 for displayinggear down protection setting ranges and accepting a selection from acustomer, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Asillustrated, the interface dialog 1100 includes a first activation gearinterface field 1102, a gear down protection limit interface field 1104,a last activation gear interface field 1108, and a save interface button1112. In some embodiments, the values initially displayed in theinterface fields may be the values stored in the gear down protectionsetting record. As with the interface dialog 1000 for displayingprogressive shift setting ranges, the setting calculation component 104calculates valid ranges for each of the values. A drop-down listassociated with the first activation gear interface field 1102 displayseach of the valid gears for starting to activate gear down protection,and a drop-down list associated with the last activation gear interfacefield 1108 displays each of the valid gears for stopping to activategear down protection. In some embodiments in which only one gear lowerthan the top gear is considered valid for activating gear downprotection, the first activation gear interface field 1102 and the lastactivation gear interface field 1108 may have the same value, and maynot be further configurable. In some embodiments, more than one gear maybe displayed in the drop-down lists. The illustrated gear downprotection limit interface field 1104 does not include a drop-down list,but instead the calculated range of valid gear down protection limitvalues is displayed as a prompt 1106 to inform the customer 92 of thevalid values. In some embodiments, the gear down protection limitinterface field 1104 may include a drop-down list including valueswithin the valid range at predetermined intervals for selection by thecustomer 92. Upon selecting the save interface button 1112 to submit theselections by the customer 92, the setting calculation component 104 mayverify that the configured settings result in acceptable vehicleperformance and that no unusable gears exist. If errors are detected, anerror message may be displayed to the customer 92 along withinstructions for correcting the error.

In some embodiments, the setting calculation component 104 may check forsettings that are invalid due to reasons other than vehicle performance,startability, gradeability, or optimization goals. For example, thesetting calculation component 104 may check for settings that are unableto be fulfilled by the order fulfillment pipeline. If the orderfulfillment pipeline includes an end-of-line dynamometer test, thesetting calculation component 104 may indicate an error and requestchanges to the settings if it is determined that the settings areoutside of a testing capability of the end-of-line dynamometer test.

Returning now to FIG. 2, the method 200 proceeds to a decision block216, where a determination is made as to whether the customer made anychanges to the previously analyzed settings. If the customer had madechanges to the previously analyzed settings, the result of thedetermination at decision block 216 is YES, and the method 200 returnsto block 212, where the procedure described therein is performed withrespect to the changed settings specified by the customer. If thecustomer did not make any changes to the previously analyzed settingsand instead selected the settings as previously analyzed, the result ofthe determination at decision block 216 is NO, and the method 200proceeds to block 218, where an order processing component 110 includesthe progressive shift and gear down protection settings with an orderstored in the order data store 112. The order may later be used duringan order fulfillment process, and the vehicle will be configured withthe selected progressive shift and gear down protection settings whilebeing prepared for delivery to the customer. The method 200 thenproceeds to an end block and terminates.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be appreciated that various changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.Although the method and various embodiments thereof have been describedas performing sequential steps, the claimed subject matter is notintended to be so limited. As nonlimiting examples, the described stepsneed not be sequential and/or not all steps are required to perform themethod. As such, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that suchexamples are within the scope of the claimed embodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A nontransitory computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executedby one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computingdevice to perform actions for configuring a vehicle, the actionscomprising: receiving, by the computing device, a vehicle configuration;determining, by the computing device, a progressive shift limit and agear down protection limit associated with the vehicle; determining, bythe computing device, whether the progressive shift limit and the geardown protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicleconfiguration; and in response to determining that the limits result inany dead gears: modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear downprotection limit to eliminate any dead gears; and storing, by thecomputing device in an order data store, the modified progressive shiftlimit or the modified gear down protection limit; wherein determiningwhether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limitresult in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration includes:determining a vehicle speed in a highest gear for which progressiveshift is active based on the progressive shift limit and the vehicleconfiguration; determining an engine speed in a lowest gear for whichgear down protection is active based on the determined vehicle speed andthe vehicle configuration; and indicating that the limits result in adead gear in response to determining that the engine speed is below apeak torque range for an engine model specified in the vehicleconfiguration.
 2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, whereindetermining the progressive shift limit and the gear down protectionlimit associated with the vehicle includes receiving a selectedprogressive shift limit and selected gear down protection limit from acustomer.
 3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein modifyingthe progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit toeliminate any dead gears includes prompting the customer to provide anew progressive shift limit or a new gear down protection limit.
 4. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein prompting the customer toprovide the new progressive shift limit or the new gear down protectionlimit includes presenting to the customer a range of valid progressiveshift limits or gear down protection limits.
 5. A computer-implementedmethod of configuring a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, by acomputing device, a vehicle configuration; determining, by the computingdevice, a progressive shift limit and a gear down protection limitassociated with the vehicle; determining, by the computing device,whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limitresult in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration; and inresponse to determining that the limits result in any dead gears:modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limitto eliminate any dead gears; and storing, by the computing device in anorder data store, the modified progressive shift limit or the modifiedgear down protection limit; wherein determining whether the progressiveshift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gearsbased on the vehicle configuration includes: determining a vehicle speedin a highest gear for which progressive shift is active based on theprogressive shift limit and the vehicle configuration; determining anengine speed in a lowest gear for which gear down protection is activebased on the determined vehicle speed and the vehicle configuration; andindicating that the limits result in a dead gear in response todetermining that the engine speed is below a peak torque range for anengine model specified in the vehicle configuration.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein determining the progressive shift limit and the geardown protection limit associated with the vehicle includes receiving aselected progressive shift limit and a selected gear down protectionlimit from a customer.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying theprogressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminateany dead gears includes prompting the customer to provide a newprogressive shift limit or a new gear down protection limit.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein prompting the customer to provide the newprogressive shift limit or the new gear down protection limit includespresenting to the customer a range of valid progressive shift limits orgear down protection limits.
 9. A computing device, comprising: at leastone processor; a memory; and a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response toexecution by the at least one processor, cause the computing device toperform actions for configuring a vehicle, the actions comprising:receiving, by the computing device, a vehicle configuration;determining, by the computing device, a progressive shift limit and agear down protection limit associated with the vehicle; determining, bythe computing device, whether the progressive shift limit and the geardown protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicleconfiguration; and in response to determining that the limits result inany dead gears: modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear downprotection limit to eliminate any dead gears; and storing, by thecomputing device in an order data store, the modified progressive shiftlimit or the modified gear down protection limit; wherein determiningwhether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limitresult in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration includes:determining a vehicle speed in a highest gear for which progressiveshift is active based on the progressive shift limit and the vehicleconfiguration; determining an engine speed in a lowest gear for whichgear down protection is active based on the determined vehicle speed andthe vehicle configuration; and indicating that the limits result in adead gear in response to determining that the engine speed is below apeak torque range for an engine model specified in the vehicleconfiguration.
 10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein determiningthe progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limitassociated with the vehicle includes receiving a selected progressiveshift limit and a selected gear down protection limit from a customer.11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein modifying the progressiveshift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any deadgears includes prompting the customer to provide a new progressive shiftlimit or a new gear down protection limit.
 12. The computing device ofclaim 11, wherein prompting the customer to provide the new progressiveshift limit or the new gear down protection limit includes presenting tothe customer a range of valid progressive shift limits or gear downprotection limits.